NOVEL NEXT Chapter 404: FATE
[Akasha Library]
"Hahaha!"
Sitting on her rocking chair, an old woman with murky silver hair was chuckling to herself and soon started laughing like a hysteric patient as she read the letters that were slowly being written in the book she was holding in her hands.
"How surprising. This is simply marvelous."
For all her experience and wisdom, Eve was not omniscient— not in the slightest. All she could do was make plans by analyzing some of the future books in the library and making assumptions while preparing those plans of hers.
Such strategy was far from being the most efficient and she had in reality failed more times than she had actually succeeded.
But sometimes… On some very, very rare moments, she reached a form of success so high that they made up for all the losses she had faced and even beyond.
Right now. Right here, she was witnessing something she could have never anticipated in all her life and all the deductions she could have made. A miracle born from many coincidences that were simply beyond her control and surpassed even her wildest imaginations.
"A new race. A whole new race…"
Eve muttered, as her visible age started to go backwards and reach her prime. From looking like an old woman in the twilight of her years, she looked more like a mature woman at the very peak of her existence.
A smile of satisfaction formed on her lips. Clearly, the world had recognized her contributions and she had started to receive back some of the Karma she had invested in Adam which made her assume this old and decrepit form.
"You are truly an enigma, my grandson."
Eve gently caressed the book she was holding in her arms. She had already prepared for Adam to create a new race. Sooner or later. But this was far sooner than she could have ever imagined.
"This changes a few things though."
Already. her mind had become active, scheming, and moving itself to its maximum capabilities. She had recuperated more Karma sooner than in her plans. This was both good and bad as such she couldn't simply let go of her carefully planned schemes.
At the same time, a certain feeling of jubilation filled her heart.
"New children. I wonder if one day one of them will come here."
She closed her eyes as a peaceful smile appeared on her face. Adam was a wonderful grandchild and already he was bringing great grandchildren for her to pamper.
"Fufufu~ Should I prepare some new gifts for them?"
The windfall of Karma she received was completely unexpected. Surely she could invest some of it in the babies, right?
"What should I give them?"
Eve stood up and started exploring the library, humming on her way through the corridors. While imagining herself watching some anime or show with tiny babies on her lap and her family around her.
This was nothing more than a dream for her at the moment. But sooner or later… She would make that dream a reality.
"If I had enough Karma I would have visited him already."
She looked up, laughing quietly as she wondered what he would think once he learned the news.
Teasing Cain was always one of the funniest things in the world for her.
[Continent of Europe — Rome]
Rome was one of the most beautiful and romantic cities in the whole world. It was also one of the epicenters of all of Christianity.
The city, despite the current technology in the world, still had a certain traditional feeling. Its appearance is born from the desire to keep certain traditions and monuments alive.
A little far from the city— in a vinery, an old woman was lying down peacefully and resting when she suddenly started to frown.
Her sleep was agitated and her frown grew deeper until finally she was taken out of her sleep.
Opening her eyes, her white pupils blankly stared at nothing as she stood up and looked around her.
"My cane."
Her hand moved around until she caught her cane at the head of the bed and she taped it quietly on the ground. A wave of Prana spread all around and came back to her, creating a picture in her mind that was filled with nothing but darkness.
This was one of the ways for her to 'see' while still being blind. This was also one of the reasons people still feared her and did not consider her a cripple. A form of echolocation that gave her even more perception than those who simply relied on their eyes for sight.
Standing up, the old woman started walking out of her bedroom with assured steps. Her mind focused on the pictures that disturbed her sleep.
"The Legion has started to take shape." [1]
Things were moving faster than she had anticipated and she did not know whether this was a good or bad thing for the world.
As a Seer and a Zodiac, Anastasia had always been able to read the heavenly road and peer into the fate of many. But it was simply superficial. It was only after sacrificing her eyes for greater power that she became able to see deeper and understand more about the heavens and the fate that encased all of creation.
"So many possibilities."
She muttered dejectedly. The future King was walking a road no one could see the end of.
Deep down, she once wondered if simply eliminating him while he was still young and weak was not the best option at their hands. After all, why risk the fate of the world on the whim of a single entity?
But those inner doubts never lasted. She knew very well that the heavenly way was never so simple. While no future was fixed, some Fate were so powerful that they were basically ineluctable.
Becoming the enemy of the Future King only had one conclusion for no matter who dared cross his path. A certain Fate that could never be changed— Death.
Anastasia did not fear death. What she feared was dying meaninglessly because of one stupid mistake that could have been avoided.
Sighing to herself she reached a special room and started taking out tarot cards from the deck that was placed on one side of the table. After shuffling the deck…
The first card she took out was 'The Moon', clearly a fate that would happen soon but she was not interested in the immediate future. Two more cards were taken out of the shuffled deck, and after lightly passing her finger over the engraved words she sighed.
"The [Wheel of Fortune] and the [Emperor]."
Things were going to be complicated. She continued to take more cards. This time the card of [Death] was brought out and it was facing that of the [Hanged Man].
"Two destinies."
Finally, surrounding the Card of [The World] was the Reversed [Hierophant], Reversed [Lover], and the upright [Star]. [2]
Indeed, the future was announced to be full of Chaos.
[1]: Go Back to 291 CH 286: Prophecy.
[2]: Once again, researching took me more time than actual writing but anyway.
[Moon] means subconscious, illusions, intuition
[Wheel of Fortune] means change, cycles, and inevitable fate
[Emperor] means authority, structure, control, and fatherhood
[Hanged Man] in a tarot when in an upright position means: sacrifice, release, and martyrdom.
Reversed [Hierophant] means rebellion, subversiveness, and new approaches
Reversed [Lover] means loss of balance, one-sidedness, and disharmony
Finally, [Star] means hope, faith, and rejuvenation
I think those cards are pretty clear haha.
(AN: Damn guys, I reached a new milestone. Officially 400 chapters now. If we add the interludes and side chapters. This is honestly a very emotional moment for me when considering that I many times thought about dropping this work with all the negative reviews at the start. Once again, thanks for all your support as this story would not be possible without your continuous support. Even though we are already at 400 chapters and nearly 600K words uploaded, I believe we are barely into Adam's story. Haha. I hope you guys will all be with me until the end. I wish you all a very good day.)